Parenting Stress Among Adolescent Mothers in the Transition to Adulthood

This study assessed the existence and nature of parenting stress among 187 adolescent mothers over a period of two and one half years across their eldest child's preschool years. Although the majority of mothers did not report elevated levels of stress, approximately thirty percent of the sample reported clinically high levels of stress at any one of the six measurement points. Criticism from a parent regarding their childrearing and intimate partner violence were both found to be related to perceptions of parenting stress. Implications for practice, including the use of the Parenting Stress Index (PSI) as a clinical screening tool, are noted.     

Home-to-Job Spillover for Generation X,Boomers, and Matures: A Comparison

Home-to-job spillover, a source of stress for employed men and women, can be exacerbated by factors that deplete personal time and energy. Household responsibilities and caring for children or the elderly are stressors that may differentially impact employed adults based on lifecycle stage. The present study identified time, satisfaction, and demographic variables significantly associated with negative home-to-job spillover for three generational groups: generation Xer’s, boomers, and matures. Matures spent significantly more time caring for the elderly whereas boomers and generation Xer’s spent more time caring for children. Significantly more boomers reported home-to-job spillover, and there were more predictors of spillover for this group than for members of the younger or older generations. An erratum to this article can be found at .     

Estimation of Potential Health Effects from Acute Exposure to Hydrogen Fluoride Using a "Benchmark Dose" Approach

Communities across the United States are examining the manufacture, use, transport, and storage of hydrogen fluoride (HF) near residential areas as a consequence of a major release of HF in Texas in 1987. Reference exposure levels for routine and accidental HF emissions are calculated using existing animal and human data. The approach employs a logprobit extrapolation of concentration-response data to the 95% lower confidence limit on the toxic concentration producing a "benchmark dose" of 1% response (TC01), called a practical threshold. Species-specific and chemical-specific adjustment factors are applied to develop exposure levels applicable to the general public. Using this method, the 1-hr reference exposure level to protect the public against any irritation from a routine emission (REL-1) is 0.7 ppm and the level to protect against severe irritation from a once-in-a-lifetime (REL-2) release is 2 ppm. This approach is compared to a modified "uncertainty factor" approach.     

Separation-individuation and speech and language development in the psychotherapy of an atypical child

Children with psychiatric disorders often experience speech and language problems, however, the association between the two is not fully understood. The literature lacks explorative case examples to suggest how attention to language and speech difficulties may serve as a vehicle for diagnosis and intervention. A case study is presented to examine psychother-apeutic techniques and activities to improve psychic structuring and attendant communication skills in a child. Speech and language concepts and the affect induced by the child in the therapist serve as major organizers to demonstrate how therapy proceeds within Mahler's stages of separation-individuation.The treatment of the child occurred during a Post-Master's Fellowship Program at the Institute of Living, Dept. of Child Psychiatry under the supervision of Michael Hayes, M.S.W. Ms. Streit is in private practice, but currently on leave in Adelaide, Australia.     

The Origins of Children's Career Aspirations: IV. Testing Hypotheses from Four Theories

In a study of 949 elementary students, mixed support was found for four theoretical positions concerning the role of childhood in career development. For Ginzberg's theory, support was found for his observation that interests play the major role in both the selection and rejection of careers throughout the period of childhood. For Roe's theory, the authors found evidence that family configuration influenced occupational choice/no choice. From Havighurst's theory, support was found for the idea that identification with a parent's work is particularly strong among younger children. A number of aspects of each of the theories failed to be confirmed.